The Last Outing
by WeissRoseofBeacon
Summary: Summer Rose is sent on a mission - Little does she know, it will be her last
1. Prologue: A Tale of Four Maidens

Prologue: A Tale of Four Maidens

Deep in the forests of Remnant, beside a great and mighty river, stood the small, fragile home of a cold, frail man - a lone wizard. Hidden from the dangers and distractions of the world, the wizard seldom had visitors. But on this day, as he peered out his window, his gaze fell upon a young maiden.

Calmly, she sat beneath his tree in a state of absolute tranquility. When the wizard demanded an explanation, the Maiden simply replied, "My name is Winter. I am on a journey, and I am waiting for my sisters." With that, she closed her eyes and sat in silence.

The wizard told himself the girl was a fool, but the longer she sat, the more he wished to share in the serenity the young Maiden enjoyed. In time, he grew tired and decided to close his eyes as well, thinking on this strange predicament. Upon opening his eyes, the wizard was befuddled to find that a second Maiden appeared beneath his tree, cheerful and spry, with a basket of fruit and flowers.

When he asked for an explanation, the girl simply replied, "My name is Spring. I am on a journey, and I am waiting for my sisters." To show her gratitude for his reluctant hospitality, the girl retrieved a handful of seeds from her basket, and planted them in the wizard's carden.

The old hermit could hardly believe his eyes as the Maiden turned what was once a mere pile of dirt and manure into a beautiful garden, from which life would surely blossom. It's likely he would have gazed for hours, were it not for the unfamiliar laughter he heard from beneath the tree. A young woman with a warm smile now stood beside the two maidens.

The wizard begged her to introduce herself, to which she happily responded, "My name is Summer. I am on a journey, and I am waiting for my sister."

Of course, thought the wizard. But another chirp of laughter left the old man perplexed. What in the world was so funny? As it turned out, it was him. The new arrival found the wizard's insistence on staying indoors so very amusing. Why choose to view the world through a small window when the door leading out to is was right at his side? It was a compelling argument. And after only a moment of brief hesitation, the wizard left his home - and stepped outside. The warmth of the sun brought with it a surge of energy and life, and soon the wizard wasn't feeling much like himself anymore. He was feeling much better.

As the day drew to a close, the Maidens and the wizard all settled down and prepared a feast. Winter set the table. Spring supplied the crops. Summer prepped the mean, and the wizard was the happiest he'd been in ages. But in all the excitement, he nearly failed to notice the delicate woman that now stood beneath his tree. He smiles, and beckoned her to join them, asking only for her name.

"My name is Fall," she replied softly/ "I am on a journey, and am here to meet my sisters. Who are you?"

"Me?", the wizard wondered." Well, I am but an old hermit - I have lived in these woods alone for centuries and I'm afraid my story is not very interesting, as I have no one to love and nothing to my name."

The elder sister looked up at all that surrounded them. "But sir, do you not see? You have so much."

It was true. With their help, it was now clear to see that the wizard had everything he could ever need. He was grateful, but a question lingered in his mind. "Why me?", he asked. "Why did the four of you choose to open my eyes? To share with me your gifts? Why am I so special?"

The four sisters looked to one another, perplexed. Finally, the eldest spoke. "I beg your pardon, sir, but we did not do these things for you because you were special. We do what we can for everyone, because we are able."

The old wizard was at a loss. Never in his years had he come across such kindness. It was in that moment he knew what should be done. The wizard Summoned his magic, every ounce he could muster, and bestowed it upon the sisters. He smiled. "Take this gift, and know now that you are able to do so much more."

Now armed with the elements, the very powers of nature, and the unimaginable magic of the wizard, the four maidens, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, promised to carry on with their journey, using their gifts to aid others, just as they aided him. One by one, the sisters left. Before they did, they made one final promise. They promised to return each and every year, to visit their dear friend.

Many years have passed since that day. The Maidens have reincarnated many times, transferring their powers to new young maidens. But the Spring Maiden is missing. The old wizard has been looking for her, in a new form: Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.


	2. Chapter 1: A New Mission

Chapter 1: A New Mission

Under most circumstances, Professor Ozpin prefered to handle situations with tact and subtlety. The less information you broadcast to your adversary, the harder it is for them to predict your next move. However, some situations, ones with dire consequences, allow tact to be abandoned in favor of expedience. Ozpin usually takes his time before reaching the decision to abandon tact, but once he makes that decision, his action is immediate and sure. Now was one of those times. He flipped the Beacon Academy Public Announcement system on, and relayed his message: "Miss Rose, please report to my office immediately."

Back in the dorms, Qrow Branwen turned to the young woman sitting at his feet, and teasingly asked her, "What did you do this time, kiddo?"

"Nothing!" she replied, "Ozpin probably just has some new mission for me. I am team leader, and as such, I get to go on solo missions from time to time." She paused, looking at Qrow. "Maybe if you ask nicely enough, Ozpin will let you come with me."

Qrow chuckled. "Maybe next time, kiddo. I've got my own important things to deal with. Seems my sister has been causing some trouble. Ozpin wanted me to look into it. And besides, there's also the matter of my semblance. We don't want you in more danger just because I'm there." His expression turned serious. "Be careful out there kid."

"Oh, you worry too much, Qrow. I'll be fine. I've gone on plenty of missions before, and none of them gave me any trouble." the young Rose replied.

Qrow shook his head, still chuckling to himself. "I know, but you're not getting any younger. The Grimm are still getting stronger every day. If you get too relaxed, you'll end up in a mess. I won't always be able to save you, you know."

The door chimed, signaling the arrival of the elevator, stirring Ozpin from his work. He kept his finger on the map of Remnant, his finger somewhere over Anima. "Can I help you?" he called to the door.

"You called me professor?" the young girl answered.

"Ah, Miss Rose." Ozpin waved his hand, beckoning her to join him. "Please, come in. Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?"

"Uh, yeah. Cream and five sugars, please. " she replied.

Ozpin got up and went over to a cupboard towards the side of his office, and got out the appropriate amount of sweetener."You have quite the sweet tooth, Miss Rose. Perhaps it's no wonder as to why you have so much energy. Even Dr. Oobleck takes less sugar in his coffee." Ozpin poured them both a cup of coffee, took a sip, and took on a serious look, getting straight to the point. "You know why I called you here, don't you Miss Rose?"

"You have a new mission for me, isn't that right?" she answered.

"Not just any mission," Ozpin began to explain, "A very important one. Probably the most important mission I've ever sent you on. After a long time of searching, I believe we've finally found the Spring Maiden. And, unfortunately, I also have reason to believe she's in danger."

"She's in danger? Who's after her?" the girl's expression was serious, but with more than a hint of curiosity and confusion.

"Unfortunately, this appears to be a… Different sort of situation. She seems to have gotten herself involved in a tribe of bandits. People who don't care about humanity's survival so much as their own. People who track and even kill Huntsmen. They attack small villages too, most recently hitting Oniyuri in Anima. Spring may have thought that, with her powers, the bandits should be no problem for her to take care of. Or perhaps they offered her enough Lien to buy her loyalty. One way or another, now she fights for them, and has killed every Huntsman I have sent after her. And that, Miss Rose, is where you come in." Ozpin looked into the young woman's eyes.

"You need my eyes. Are you absolutely sure this is the only way? I… I don't want to hurt someone if I don't have to." The girl's eyes looked sorrowfully at Ozpin.

"Sad though it is, this is the only way. As I mentioned, she's already taken down some of our best. Trust me, if I hadn't already exhausted every other possibility, we would not be having this conversation." Ozpin's expression was steel solid; yet he couldn't help a flicker of concern flow across his face.

Beneath her hooded cloak, the girl nodded. "I know, I just had to ask anyway. If she's killed some of our best, then I assume I'm going to be by myself for this one. No need to get friends involved if we don't have to."

"That is correct. I know your teammates would have loved to come with you, but I can't risk their lives as well as yours. Not to mention, sending out a party even that large will broadcast more to our enemy than even I am willing to risk. Spring might be important, but defeating the enemy is even more so." Ozpin explained.

The girl shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. Even if you hadn't ordered it, I would have asked you to have them stay anyway. Now then, I suppose I better get going. If I take much longer to get going, someone is going to get curious."

"Aptly put, Miss Rose. In that case, I suggest you leave immediately. I already have an airship prepared for you. You do still know how to fly, don't you?" Ozpin asked.

"Of course I do. Oh, and I promise I'll actually bring one back some day." the young woman jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

"Miss Rose, I'm not worried about an Airship or two… Or ten. At any rate, you best be on your war. Time is of the essence. Good luck, Miss Rose." Ozpin began to stand to show her the way out, when he was interrupted.

"Ozpin?" she asked, her head hung, her hood hiding her obviously distraught face. "If… If something happens -"

This time, it was Ozpin who interrupted the girl. "Don't worry about that. Focus your attention on your missing. Let me be the one to worry about a huntress not returning home."

With that, the girl nodded and went on her way. After a few moments, a shadowed figure stepped out of a dark corner of the office. "Qrow." Ozpin began, "I want you to follow her, but keep your distance. I don't want her to know she's being followed. I fear this mission may be too much for even her. I expect interference that she may not be prepared to handle. I believe you know what I mean."

Qrow Branwen took a swig from his flask before answering. "I'll keep my eye on her, Oz. And don't worry, I have my own reason to keep my distance. I've lost too many friends to my Semblance, and I don't need her being added to that list. But I also know that you can't stand the idea of no one looking after your Silver Eyes.

"Bye kids! You girls behave yourselves until I get back, okay?" Ruby and Yang sat on the front porch of their small house on Patch, waving as their mother headed out to go on her mission. She turned and waved once more, calling out to them: "Oh, kids! I've got a batch of cookies in the over for you. Make sure you have your dad take them out for you. We don't want you burning yourselves, now do we?"

"Yang?" Ruby looked up at her sister, her eyes, silver just like her mother's, glittering in excitement and curiosity. "When is Mommy gonna get home?"

"She just left, Ruby." Yang replied, her twin ponytails draping over her shoulders. "It's probably gonna be a couple of weeks. Just be paties, okay? Hey, why don't we see if dad will get the cookies out for us? You always loved Mom's cookies."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Cookies!" she cheered. "Yeah! Let's go get some cookies!" Ruby took her older sister by the hand and led her inside to wait in front of the oven, not-quite-patiently. Their father, Taiyang, lingered on the porch a few minutes longer.

"Be careful, Summer." he said under his breath. "I'd hate to lose a second wife. And the kids need you, too. Especially Ruby." He glanced inside at the girls, smiling for a moment at little Ruby jumping up and down in a red cloak, not unlike her mother's white one. "She looks just like you, Summer. I love it, I won't be forgetting you any time soon. But, it also worries me. If she looks so much like you, I just know she's gonna turn out just like you." After a moment, he returned inside. "I hope you two aren't trying to help yourselves to some cookies!" he called to the girls. Please, he thought to himself, please let her come home, safely.


End file.
